by RJ Moore
“Well, are you going to open it or just stare at it?” he says, using the same words I said to him when I gave him his birthday present. I tear the paper open, only pausing when Ian has to take his pocketknife out to cut open the heavy duty tape. Pulling back the flaps, I gasp as hot pink balloons swiftly rise out of the box.
“Surprise!”
I jump at the unexpected voices, looking up to see Quinn, Lacey, Scarlett, Conner, and Ian’s parents come running out from the kitchen. Taking a quick glance at the now empty box, I have no idea what is going on. My brows furrow in confusion as I look at all their faces, up to the balloons at the ceiling, then to Ian. He stretches his hand out to help me off the floor where I was kneeling.
Lacey steps in front everyone with a ginormous grin on her face. “Well? Aren’t you happy you’re having a girl?”
My legs feel like jello but Ian doesn’t let me fall. Being my rock, he holds me up as tears stream down my cheeks. “I’m having a little girl?”
Lacey rolls her eyes. “Duh. Pink balloons.”
“I…I’m hav-having a…a girl,” I stutter out, half laughing and half crying. I twirl around, leap in Ian’s arms, and shout out, “I’m having a girl!”
“That’s not all. Come see where your little girl will be sleeping.” Scarlett grabs my hand, pulling me away from Ian. Conner must have been feeling left out because he runs up to hold on to my other hand. “Close your eyes, Evie.”
I smile down at him, doing as he says. “Okay, they’re shut.”
I trust Scarlett not to run me into any walls as I’m led down the hallway. Conner pulls me to a stop. “Now open them!”
I slowly peel my eyes open, not sure if I can handle any more surprises at the moment. A lump forms in the back of my throat as I take in the sight before me. The walls are painted a light coral color with new bright white wood paneling. The white crib I picked out with Lacey is against the far wall with a white canopy hanging above.
A huge three-drawer changing dresser that matches perfectly with the crib is against the opposite wall. Next to the window, which is now fitted with long flowing curtains, is a beige gliding rocking chair with an ottoman. Pictures with gold glittering butterflies hang on the wall and gold-framed mirrors are arranged above the rocker. One framed picture in particular draws my attention—it’s the sonogram picture of my baby, revealing the gender.
I look up, trying to stop the flood of tears when I see the light has been replaced with a small chandelier, completing the princess theme. A sob erupts from me as I cover my face with my hands.
I don’t think I could love these wonderful people more than I do in this moment. They’ve accepted me with open arms, no questions asked. They didn’t care about my past. They didn’t want anything from me. I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve them and all the incredible, selfless things they have done for me and my baby. To think if I had listened to my parents, had given in like I always did, I would have never met them.
Scarlett engulfs me in a hug, which only makes me cry harder, powerless to stop it. She never lets me go, just holds me until I’m able to take a gulp of air. Conner seems unaware of my crying while he yammers on about who did what. “My mom and grandma did most of the baby’s room. Me and Quinn made your yard look pretty and Lacey finished painting your kitchen. My grandpa put your door up. I really like the red door. It’s like ours now.”
I let out a little laugh as he talks so fast it’s almost hard to understand what he’s saying. I didn’t get a chance to see my kitchen, adding one more surprise to my already exciting day.
I hug Scarlett back. “Thank you so much.” Letting her go, I glance at each of them where they’re all piled into the room. “All of you. This is…” I take a moment as I start to get choked up again. “This is amazing. I don’t know how to thank you all. This is more than I could have ever asked for.”
I make sure to hug every single person in the room. As I embrace Jane, I say, “I thought you wanted to wait until the baby shower.”
She tips her head toward Lacey. “This one here said how”—she raises her fingers to do air quotes—“freaking awesome it would be to surprise you first and then throw a baby shower.”
Lloyd steps up behind Jane, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Yes, and since she ruined the surprise baby shower, we thought it was fitting to give you this surprise.” We all chuckle when Lacey simply shrugs her shoulders, sticking her tongue out at her dad.
Conner is last in line as I lower to my knees so I can give him a big bear hug. “Thank you so much, buddy.” He hugs me back, squeezing tight before letting go. Bouncing up and down, he pulls on my hand, forcing me to stand quickly. “Come on, Evie. Come on!”
Weaving through everyone, he leads me out back where Duke comes running up to greet me. He knows not to jump up on me so instead he twirls around in circles excitedly. “Hey Duke.” I’m able to give him a quick pat before I’m pulled over to the garden beds.
“Look what Aunt Lacey did. She planted food for you.” He holds his arms out, directing my attention to my now weed-free garden beds. I follow Conner as he goes down each row, explaining to me what each plant is. I will now have my own squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peas. “My mom says these are all very good for your baby’s tummy.”
I tickle his stomach, making him laugh. “They’re good for your tummy too.” I smile as I watch him run off with Duke. He is such an adorable, caring little boy. I hope I can be as good of a mother as Scarlett is for my little girl.
A girl!
I can hardly believe it. I started out having everything, and then one minute I had nothing. I may not be in the city, surrounded by the wealthy, but now—now I have more than I’ve ever had: my own life, genuine friends, a baby girl.
“You should see your face right now. You’re actually glowing.” Lacey walks up beside me, watching Conner run with Duke as if they’re playing tag.
I sway, bumping her shoulder. “I can’t believe you guys did all this.” I circle around, taking in all the new plants. “I had completely forgotten about planting my own garden.” I pause. “I think I forgot about a lot of my plans.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
Looking back at her, I can see the confusion on her face. “No. No, it’s not. I didn’t expect any of you, didn’t expect to meet Ian, feel things for him.” I give her my back, skimming the top of my hand over the tomato leaves. “I planned to leave home and prove something to my parents—that I can make it on my own. I wanted to be better, to give my baby something better. I wanted to do everything on my own. No help.” I sheepishly smile at her. “I was wrong. I wouldn’t have all this if it weren’t for you guys. I can leave home, but I can’t do everything by myself.”
She swings her arm around my neck, making our heads thump together, which doesn’t seem to faze her.
Ow.
“You’re like the bee to our honey. We just couldn’t resist your sticky sweetness.”
“That”—I scrunch up my nose—“just sounds dirty.”
“The cream to my Oreo,” she sings out, completely ignoring me. “The meat to my taco. The hole to my—”
“Okay, I get it.” I laugh. “I’m like the hole to your doughnut.”
She sighed. “You get me.”
I bite my lip to hold back my grin. “I get you.”
“My mom made food.”
I link my arm with hers. “Then why the hell are we out here and not inside eating?”
Lacey laughs. “That’s my girl. I’ll make a cussin’ country hick out of you yet.” She hollers at Conner to come inside to eat as I walk through the back door. I stop in my tracks, almost getting plowed over by Conner and Duke as they shove their way past me. I’m amazed to see all the food that was prepared, and I see bottles of cream soda filling a small metal tub, packed with ice. How I didn’t smell all this when I first came in is beyond me.
My cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling so much. I’m still astounded at how luck
y I was to end up here, to meet such perfect people. I go stand next to Ian, leaning into him for a hug. He squeezes me back as I watch Lacey and Scarlett fight over who gets the biggest roll. Jane is at the sink, washing vegetables with Lloyd beside her. I smirk when I see him sneak his hand low, pinching her butt. She startles, narrowing her eyes at him before bumping her hip against his. He chuckles, wrapping his arm around her middle.
I can hear Conner playing, presumably in the living room from the sound of it. I almost miss Quinn, sitting quietly in the chair, sipping on a cream soda. He seems bothered by something and following his line of sight, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out it has something to do with Lacey.
He must sense me staring because he turns my way, schooling his features. He winks then gets up, grabbing another cream soda, and comes over to us. “Are you excited you’re having a girl?”
I take the offered soda. “Thank you. I’m so happy.” I pop the top off, taking a sip. “And thank you so much for my lawn. It looks amazing!”
“I know,” he says smugly.
Ian snorts at the same time I whack Quinn on the shoulder. The banter between us flows easily. Jane places the last of the food on the table, telling us all to jump in. The food is, of course, delicious.
I eat probably three times more than I normally do. I push my elastic band on my pants a little lower so there is not as much pressure on my stomach. Scooting my butt to the edge of chair, I lean back, rubbing my belly. “If I take one more bite, I think I might burst.”
Soft chuckles erupt around the table and Scarlett copies me, leaning back in her chair. “I’m with Eve,” she groans, patting her stomach.
“It’s all that yeast rising in your gut from hogging all the rolls, fat ass,” Lacey says, kicking her chair.
Both Lloyd and Jane sigh, like they’re giving up on trying to make Lacey watch her mouth. Scarlett doesn’t move from her spot in the chair, just closes her eyes and gives Lacey the finger.
It’s almost dark by the time they all leave. I thought I would have a big mess to clean up, but I was pleasantly surprised when everyone, including Conner, cleaned up every single bit of mess.
Jane packed up all the food, giving me all the leftovers, much to the dismay of Lacey and Scarlett. They just whispered in my ear how they would be back to raid my fridge.
I feel Ian press up behind me and I lean back into his embrace. I know he was the one that planned the majority of my many surprises tonight. He never takes the credit for anything, just silently sits back, simply enjoying the fact that I’m happy.
Lacing my fingers through his, I lead him into the bathroom. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing nerves. Letting my hand drop from his, I move over to the bathtub, turning the water to warm. Snatching the bottle from the side of the tub, I pour a healthy dose of bubbles into the streaming water.
Ian hasn’t said a word, mutely watching me in his relaxed stance. His body is tilted back on the counter, one ankle resting over the other. His arms are crossed in front of him, still wearing his red plaid shirt that makes those green eyes seem more intense.
I slowly saunter up to him, never breaking eye contact. Lifting my hands, I start unbuttoning his shirt. I wait for him to stop me but he just stands there, watching me with hunger in his eyes.
Bringing my hands back to his chest, I run them across his chiseled pecs to his shoulders and down his arms, not stopping until I’ve taken his shirt off. Standing on my tippy toes, I kiss along his jawline. “I want you.”
“Evie—”
“Shhh, just listen to me. I know you said you want to do right by me and believe me, you have, but I’m tired of doing the right thing by someone else’s standards.” I look up at him, smirking as I repeat the same thing he told me when we first started this relationship. “I know what I want, and what I want is you, Ian.”
I kiss the side of his mouth, trailing down until I reach his neck. His hands come down on my sides, gently caressing. His breathing becomes labored, coming out in tiny pants. “I don’t think—”
“Don’t make me beg, Ian.” I flick my tongue out, making him tighten his hold. Giving one last kiss to his neck, I step out of his embrace to undo his belt, sliding it out of the loops. I drop it to the floor as I grin up at him. Popping his button open, I slide my hands in his waistband, pushing his pants and boxers to the ground.
Taking his length in my hand, I press our bodies together while stroking him. He growls, twisting us around, and lifts me up to the counter. He crushes his mouth to mine, kissing me hungrily. Gripping the bottom of my shirt, he lifts it over my head, throwing it to the floor. My bra follows right after and I feel his tongue flick my nipple.
My head falls back as I clutch his head, not wanting him to stop. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him so close I feel his hardness against me. Bringing his head up, he picks me up to carry me to the bedroom, only pausing to shut the water off.
Laying me down in the center of the bed, he pulls my pants and panties off at the same time, leaving me bare for his view. I moan when I feel his hand glide between my legs, stroking my core.
He nudges me until I’m on my side, settling himself behind me. His hand snakes between my legs once again while he kisses my neck. I feel his length nudge my opening, exhaling when I feel myself stretch around him. It’s been a while for me and with his size, I’m glad he’s taking it slow.
“Are you okay?” When I nod my head, his hand continues the sensual circles while his thrusts become deeper, faster.
In no time at all, I’m whispering his name right as I feel him tense, groaning my name back. I collapse against him, panting for air like I just ran a marathon.
“Did I hurt you at all?”
“No, that was amazing.” Shifting until I’m on my back, I turn my head to peer over at him. “I can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me.”
His brows shoot up. “Holding out on you?”
“Yeah, I had no idea it would feel that good. I mean, I know you’re talented with your hands and tongue, but that…” I whistle low. “That was something else.”
He throws his head back, laughing. “Careful, you might make my ego explode.” Moving until he’s hovering above me, elbows braced on each side of my head, he grins wide. He doesn’t say anything, merely staring with that handsome smile.
“What?”
He shakes his head then cocks it to the side, peering intently at me. “You are absolutely beautiful, Evie.” Threading his fingers through my hair, he claims my mouth slow and sweet.
My heart swells, leaving me breathless. Any doubts about my feelings before have vanished. There is no question about it—I love him with everything inside me. This tender, caring, passionate man has ripped down all the barriers I placed over my heart.
“Let’s go get cleaned up.” Picking me up bride style, he walks us back to the bathroom. He puts me down and I slip into the now lukewarm water. I wiggle my finger at him, beckoning him to join me.
I scoot forward to make room as he slides in behind me. Pulling me against his front, I tilt my head to the side as he kisses me behind the ear.
Snatching the loofa where it was hanging from the spout, he pours the liquid soap on it before washing me. I try not to get turned on again but fail with the way he’s dragging it against my skin, slowly, deliberately.
When he dips lower, I can’t help myself as I arch into him. He nudges my cheek with his hand until I twist my head to his, crashing his mouth to my lips. He lifts me so his hard length is at my center, slowly bringing me down.
I’ve always fantasized about this—in the tub, surrounded by bubbles—I just never envisioned I’d be doing it with someone as sexy as Ian, having as much pleasure as he’s giving me right now. Dropping the loofa, his hand continues its methodical movements while his other hand finds my breast.
My body shakes as I yell out, “Oh God, Ian!” I go limp, closing my eyes in bliss.
“That was so sexy,” he groans. Bring
ing his other hand up, he caresses both breasts. Placing a peck to my shoulder, he peeks over the edge of the tub. “Stay here for a minute.” While he climbs out, I glance down at what he was looking at, seeing water coating the floor.
Whoops.
I stand up as Ian walks back into the bathroom, his arms full of folded towels. As he lays a few towels on the floor, I take my fill of his sculpted body. He really is the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He wraps a towel around his waist and holds his hand out, helping me step out of the bathtub.
“Careful. I don’t want you slipping.” Once I’m standing on the towel-lined floor, he begins drying me off. I smile at him while he fastens it around me. “Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?” he asks, touching my stomach.
Placing my hand over his, I nod. “I’m sure.” I loop my arms around his neck. “Thank you for that.”
“Are you thanking me for sex?”
“No…well, kind of. I’m thanking you for making it feel so special—making me feel so special.”
Tracing my jaw, he whispers, “I’d do anything for you.”
I lay my head on his chest, hugging him. I wish I could freeze time. At this moment, in this spot, my life feels complete.
Perfectly complete.
We brush our teeth then climb into bed. Neither of us puts pajamas on, simply dropping our towels to the floor. Ian lies flat on his back, stretching his arm out for me. I don’t hesitate as I crawl up beside him, snuggling in close.
Duke comes trotting in, jumping up on the foot of bed. Turning a few circles, he finally finds his comfortable spot, flopping down on both our feet. Ian lazily runs his fingertips up and down my spine, giving me goose bumps.
“I don’t know if I can thank you enough for everything today,” I say softly. I’m on the verge of falling asleep, and I feel as if words aren’t enough to express how wonderful he made me feel today.
“You don’t have to thank me for that.”
“But I do. I know now that it was your family that you were texting. I acted badly and for that, I’m sorry.” He doesn’t stop tracing with the tips of fingers while I drone on. “What your family did for me today…” I pause, taking a deep breath before exhaling. “I don’t know how I could ever repay them—repay you.”
